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(No Model.)

V. W. BLANGHARD.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING ELECTRIC STORAGE BATTERIES.

Patented Nov. 28

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Inaemr WWW WWW A florzze UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VIRGIL \V. BLANOHARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING ELECTRIC STORAGE-BATTERIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,175, dated November 28, 18E2.

Application filed July 24, 18853. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI,VIRGIL W. BLANCHARD,

of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Charging Electric Storage-Batteries; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification, said drawing showing the details and general system of my invention, which relates to improvements in apparatus for charging electric storage-batteries, and also to devices by means of which the amount of electricity stored can be measured and recorded, as will be hereinafter described.

In the drawing, A represents a galvanic battery or other suitable source of electricity, which generator is connected, as hereinafter described, to a storage-battery, A,which may be of any well-known construction; but I prefer to employ a storage-battery such as I have described in applications marked. respectively A B O, and filed the 24th day of July, 1882.

E is an electro-magnet provided with apivoted armature, E, secured by pendant to the top plate, K, and connected at its free end through the link L and the bell-crank lever F to the opposite en'dof the said plate K. The armature E, when not attracted by magnets E, rests on the adjusting-screw'm, which passes through a fixed ear, m. Pivoted to the said armature is a pawl, M, adapted to engage and operate the ratchet-wheel N at every upward stroke thereof, and by means of suitable wheel work record the number of such movements on the dial R. The sector I is suitably secured, and is provided with notches or teeth. The circuit-breaking pendulum G q and stop-arm H are both pivoted on the pin t. The arm H is provided with the pawl-arm J, adapted to engage with the teeth of the sector and retain ,the stop-arm H in any desired position with respect to the circuit-breaking pendulum G. The said stop H is provided with suitable cushion, h,against which the ball q of the circuit-breaking pendulum can strike Without injury.

(J is an electro-magnet, which is provided with the armature D, which is hinged at a to a pendant, a, which is secured to the plate C.

The arm D extends beyond the hinge a, and has a rod,d, attached toit, which passes freely through the plate 0, to which the electromagnets are secured, and has a tension-spring, I), and an adjusting thumb-screw, '0, applied toit for the purpose of regulating the tension of said spring as required, but must be suflicient to hold the armature D away from the magnets O, and the arm D in contact with the fixed piece D, which is connected by wire N with the negative pole of the storage-battery. The magnets O and the storage-battery are connected by wires 1) c. The end portion of the arm D is insulated from its support and from the magnets 0 by a suitable non-conductor, f. To this insulated end of the arm D is attached the wire N, leading to the negative pole of the generator, and while the arm D remains in contact with the plate D the nega tive line from the storage-battery is complete. The wire I extends from the positive pole of the generator to the circuit-breaking pendulum, and the wire I from the electro-magnets E to the positive pole of the storage-battery. The wires L L extend from the poles of the storage-battery to the lamps T or any other desired electrical apparatus.

The operation of my device is as follows: The positive electricity issuing from the generator passes along wire P to the circuit-breaking pendulum G q, and through the lever to the elect-ro-magnets E, and from them by wire I to the positive electrode of the storage-battcry A. As the current passes through the magnets E they become energized and attract theirarmatu re. Each time said armature rises the ratchet N is rotated one notch by the pawl \I, and the movement of the lever I impels the ball (1 against the stop-arm II, thereby breaking the cirguit through the magnets E, when the armatureinstantly falls and the ball 1 again comes into contact with lever I and the line is again completed to the storage-battery. By setting the arm H nearer to or farther from the circuit-breaking pendulum the amplitude of its vibrations will be determined, the adjustaole stop at serving to limit the downward movement of the pawl M as may be desired, its upward movement being always limited by contact with the poles of the magnets E. WVith a very short movement the vibrations will be so rapid that the flow of current will approach continuity. With longer and slower vibrations the passage of current can be very much retarded. The wire N, leading from the negative pole of the storage-battery, is secured to the piece D, against which the arm D is heldbythespringb. ThewireN ,leadingtherefrom, completes the return-line to the generator. The wires b 0 lead from the storagebattery to the magnets 0, so that they shall at all times be energized to the same extent as the storagebattery. When the tension of the charge in the storage battery becomes greater than is desired'the attraction of the magnets will overcome the tension of the spring I) and draw the armature D into contact with its cores, thereby separating D and D and breaking the return-circuit from the storagebattery to the generator, thereby stoppingany further passage of the generator-current until the tension in the storage-batteryis sufficiently reduced by its use in any desired electrical apparatus to allow the previously-adj usted spring b to draw the armature away from the magnets and the arm D into contact with the piece D, when the charging-circuit will again be completed.

Haring described my invention,what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a storage-battery and suitable generator, an electro-magnet having a pivoted armature, areciprocating and continuously-vibratin g and eircuit-breakin g pendulum included in the main circuit and actuated by the said armature, an adjustable stop-arm, and a registering device operated at each vibration of the pendulum, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a storage-battery and suitable generator of electricity, of an electromagnetic cut-off and the herein-described adjustable tension device, the means, substantially as described, for measuring and registering the current, and independent distributingwires, whereby one or more lamps or other electrical devices may be steadily supplied, substantially as set forth.

3. An electric measuring and recording device consisting essentially of an electro-magnet having its armature pivoted thereto, a reciprocating and circuit-breaking pendulum included in the main circuit and suitably connected to the actuating-armature, an adjustable stop-arm and setting mechanism, and a registering device actuated by each movement of the armature, substantially as described.

4. An electro-magnet having a pivoted armature connected to and actuating areciprocatin g and cireuit-breakin g pendulum forming part of the main circuit, an adjustable pendulum-stop, and a registering device operated at each vibration ofthe pendulum, in combination with the automatic cut-01f and the accumulator and generator, substantially as described.

5. Thecombination of electro-magnet E, pivoted armature E, provided with pawl M, the reciprocating lever F, and pendulum G, actuated by said armature, the adjustable stoparm H, pawl J, and notched sector I, the ratchet N, dial It, and suitable wheel-work for operating an indicator at each vibration of the pendulum, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VIRGIL W. BLANCHARD.

Witnesses:

W. (J. MCARTI-IUR, BERNARD J. KELLY. 

